The risk for injury to a motorcycle rider in the event of an accident is well known. In fact, a number of U.S. Patents have addressed this issue. For example, a U.S. Patent of Crane, U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,852 relates to an inflatable suit for cyclists. The suit comprises a body part enclosing covering means including an effectively hollow body-part-contoured inflatable bag provided with ingress port means and exterior inflating tube means communicating the ingress port means and pressurized gas supply means. Normally closed ingress valve means are provided for injecting pressurized gas into the inflatable bag in response to forced abrupt separation of a motorcyclist body from a motorcycle as a result of an accident. The rapid discharge of compressed gas into the inflatable bag brings about abrupt inflation thereof in a body-protecting manner. An inflating tube is provided with controllable manually engageable and disengageable coupling means for allowing selective mounting and dismounting of a motorcyclist without causing abrupt inflation of the inflatable bag.
A second U.S. Patent of Kincheloe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,469 discloses motorcycle safety apparel which may be made in stylish and unencumbered designs to encourage regular use by motorcycle riders. In the event of an impending or actual accident the apparel will inflate to provide a protective enclosure for the parts of the body most susceptible to critical or fatal injury. In the motorcycle application, the apparel is coupled to an umbilical cord to a container of compressed or liquefied gas with a much shorter pull cord being coupled between the rider and the valve of the container to rapidly inflate the apparel on separation of the rider from the motorcycle prior to separation of the umbilical cord. In one embodiment of the invention, the apparel is in the form of a jacket which includes a pleated hood like portion normally folded and resting under the jacket collar, and a pleated lower portion so that on inflation the hood will expand upward and then forward around the top and sides of the head and the lower portion will inflate and expand downward below the knees.
A more recent development in protection systems for motorcycle riders is disclosed in the U.S. Patent of Alaloof, U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,478. As disclosed therein, a protection system includes a garment shaped inflatable member for surrounding at least upper portions of the body of a rider of a motorcycle. Apparatus for exposing the interior of the inflatable member to a pressurized gas source for rapidly inflating the inflatable member in response to a sudden separation of the rider from the vehicle by at least a predetermined distance is also provided. The inflatable member has a garment-shaped configuration when in a non-inflated orientation. However, when inflated it has an expanded generally bulbous configuration such that large magnitude concentrated forces experienced on impact with an object subsequent to the sudden separation of the rider from the vehicle are prevented thereby protecting the surrounded upper portions of the rider's body from serious injury.
Notwithstanding the above, it is now believed that there may be a large market for an improved protective system for a motorcyclist in accordance with the present invention. There should be a market for such systems since they deploy gas into an inflatable suit in the event of a motorcyclist becoming separated from the motorcycle, or if the motorcycle tilt is sufficient to cause an accident. In addition, the system includes a sensor for sensing the speed of the motorcycle and activating the inflatable means only when the speed of the motorcycle exceeds a predetermined amount. Further, the system includes means for rapidly deploying gas into the inflatable garment in the event of a collision and irrespective of the speed of the motorcycle. Also, it is believed that such systems can be manufactured at a reasonable cost, are durable, and reliable. Further, the systems in accordance with the invention include a garment which is relatively unobtrusive prior to inflation so that they are more likely to be accepted by motorcycle riders.